Archive for June, 2011

Senate Convenes Nano Caucus Briefing, Weds, June 22nd, Washington, DC

Posted on June 24th, 2011 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

V Caprio Sen Wyden 6-22-11

Vincent Caprio & Senator Ron Wyden at the 2011 Nano Caucus on Wednesday, June 22nd

On June 22, 2011, the Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus convened its first meeting in 2011 and hosted its inaugural Nanotechnology Caucus Lecture: Nanotechnology 101. The Nanotechnology Caucus is a bipartisan group of Members dedicated to promoting nanotechnology. Opening remarks were provided by Vincent Caprio, Executive Director, NanoBusiness Commercialization Association. Attendees were then treated to extensive remarks by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), a tireless champion of nanotechnology.

Sally Tinkle, Ph.D., Acting Director, National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology Subcommittee, Committee on Technology National Science and Technology Council, provided an excellent overview of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, and focused on some of the many commercial successes of nanotechnology commercialization and the many ways these products are improving energy consumption, medical care and treatment, greener chemistry, and providing other benefits.

Jim Hussey, Chief Executive Officer, Nanoink, Inc., gave a spirited presentation on some of the commercial challenges facing the nano community and the need for universities, investors, and other nano stakeholders to stimulate investment in nanotechnology.

Travis Earles, Ph.D., Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Initiatives, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and former Assistant Director of Nanotechnology, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, shared his insights as a former policymaker and his transition to the private sector.

Finally, Frank A. Ignazzitto, Vice President, Government Business, QD Vision, Inc., explained how QD Vision’s commercialization of quantum dot technology will greatly conserve energy and enhance significantly the resolution of screens in consumer and related electronics, among other benefits.

Nanotechnology Caucus Lecture: Nanotechnology 101 – June 22, 2011, Washington, DC

Posted on June 21st, 2011 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

I am very happy to announce the Nano Caucus returns!

The Nanotechnology Caucus Lecture: Nanotechnology 101, will take place on Wednesday, June 22, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. in Room 253 of the Russell Senate Building.

AGENDA
11:00-11:05 Opening Remarks: Vincent Caprio, Executive Director, NanoBusiness Commercialization Association
www.nanobca.org

11:05-11:20 Senator Ron Wyden-(D) Oregon
http://wyden.senate.gov/

11:20-11:40 Sally Tinkle, Ph.D., Acting Director, National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology Subcommittee, Committee on Technology National Science and Technology Council, Arlington, VA
http://nano.gov/

11:40-12:00 Travis Earles, Ph.D. (Invited), Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Initiatives, Lockheed Martin Corporation Bethesda, MD (formerly Assistant Director of Nanotechnology, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy)

12:00-12:20 Jim Hussey, Chief Executive Officer, NanoInk
“Moving from lab to marketplace: what nanotechnology needs”
http://www.nanoink.net/

12:20-12:40 Frank Ignazzitto, Vice President, Government Business, QD Vision, Inc., Watertown, MA
http://www.qdvision.com/

12:40-12:55 Scott Livingston, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Livingston Securities
http://www.livingstonsecurities.com/

12:55-1:00 Closing Remarks
Vincent Caprio, Executive Director, NanoBusiness Commercialization Association
Lynn Bergeson, Partner, Bergeson & Campbell http://www.lawbc.com/
Phil Lippel, Nanotechnology Consultant

Regards,

Vincent Caprio “Serving the Nanotechnology Community for Over a Decade”
Executive Director
NanoBusiness Commercialization Association
203-733-1949
vincent@nanobca.org
www.nanobca.org

NanoBusiness Public Policy Counsel Regulatory Update – June 2011

Posted on June 21st, 2011 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

I would like to share with the Nanotechnology Community regulatory developments that occurred last week in Washington, DC on Thursday, June 9th. Paul Stimers, Partner, K&L Gates and NanoBusiness Public Policy Advisor stated the following.

Thursday, June 9, 2011 was a busy day for federal nanotechnology policy, with action from two regulatory agencies and the White House on the environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanotechnology. The NanoBusiness Commercialization Association continues to call for more research on this front, so that any regulatory activity addresses real needs, avoids unnecessary burdens on small businesses, and enables safe and useful products to reach the market.

EPA announced plans to gather information on nanomaterials in pesticide products to determine “whether the registration of a pesticide may cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment and human health.” The agency plans to gather information both by requiring pesticide registrants to inform EPA of new information “regarding unreasonable adverse effects on the environment” and through data call-in notices. EPA also will propose a new case-by-case approach for determining “whether a nanoscale ingredient is a ‘new’ active or inert ingredient for purposes of scientific evaluation under the pesticide laws, when an identical, non-nanoscale form of the nanoscale ingredient is already registered under the pesticide law.” The full prepublication notice, including instructions for commenting, is available at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/prepub-nanopest.pdf.

FDA issued draft guidance for industry that describes the agency’s “current thinking on whether FDA-regulated projects contain nanomaterials or otherwise involve the application of nanotechnology.” It represents a more expansive approach than has been taken in the past by the NNI and industry. FDA stated that its two key criteria in answering that question will be:

1) Whether an engineered material or end product has at least one dimension in the nanoscale range (approximately 1 nm to 100 nm);

or

2) Whether an engineered material or end product exhibits properties or phenomena, including physical or chemical properties or biological effects, that are attributable to its dimension(s), even if these dimensions fall outside the nanoscale range, up to one micrometer.

Importantly, FDA noted that “these considerations apply not only to new products, but also may apply when manufacturing changes alter the dimensions, properties, or effects of an FDA-regulated product or any of its components.” FDA also indicated that the criteria are subject to change in the future as more data becomes available. The full document, including instructions for submitting comments within 60 days, is available at http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/Guidances/ucm257698.htm.

The White House also issued a joint memorandum on the regulation of nanotechnology from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The memo provides guidance to agency heads, stating that “regulators should use flexible, adaptive, and evidence-based approaches that avoid, wherever possible, hindering innovation and trade while fulfilling the federal government’s responsibility to protect public health and the environment.” The memo lists principles that agencies should follow. It is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/inforeg/for-agencies/nanotechnology-regulation-and-oversight-principles.pdf.

This message is for informational purposes and does not contain or convey legal advice. The information herein should not be used or relied upon in regard to any particular facts or circumstances without first consulting a lawyer.

These recent regulatory developments, discussed by Paul will, have an impact on our Nanotechnology Community. I would be happy to answer any questions in regard to these recent regulatory developments.

Regards,

Vincent Caprio “Serving the Nanotechnology Community for Over a Decade”
Executive Director
NanoBusiness Commercialization Association
203-733-1949
vincent@nanobca.org
www.nanobca.org

NanoBusiness Commercialization Association – Nano News Spring Vol. 3

Posted on June 21st, 2011 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

As spring leads into summer the Nanotechnology Community is buzzing with good news. On June 1st, Solazyme http://www.solazyme.com/ announced their IPO.

Harris & Harris Group Notes Solazyme IPO
http://www.tinytechvc.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=582258

Solazyme, Inc. Announces Exercise of Over-Allotment Option
http://www.solazyme.com/media/2011-06-02

Next week, June 13-16th the NanoTech Conference & Expo 2011 will be held in Boston, MA
NanoTech Conference & Expo 2011
http://www.techconnectworld.com/Nanotech2011/

Nanotech jobs up 18.6% over past four years
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/05/ff_jobsessay/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29

Government agencies, concerned about potential health and environmental risks, are stepping up efforts to gather data on nanomaterials
http://www.industryweek.com/articles/information_please_19236.aspx

Publicly Traded Nanotechnology Companies – Stock Results
(see attached spreadsheet)

ARPA-E energy leader to meet with NanoMech
NanoMech lubricants provide manufacturing competitiveness and decrease America’s dependency on foreign oil
http://classic.cnbc.com/id/43308105

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE for our 10th Annual NanoBusiness Conference/Nanomanufacturing Summit 2011
September 25-27, 2011
http://www.internano.org/nms2011/
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA
http://www.seaportboston.com/meetings-and-events/overview.aspx
Hotel: Seaport Hotel (connected to the World Trade Center)
http://www.seaportboston.com/

Regards,

Vincent Caprio “Serving the Nanotechnology Community for Over a Decade”
Executive Director
NanoBusiness Commercialization Association
203-733-1949
vincent@nanobca.org
www.nanobca.org

NanoBCA Publicly Traded Nanotech Stocks – May 2011 Update

NanoBusiness Interview – Jess Jankowski, President & CEO, Nanophase

Posted on June 7th, 2011 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

In this month’s interview, we talk to Jess Jankowski, President and Chief Executive Officer, and a Board Director of Nanophase. Mr. Jankowski was elected Chief Executive Officer (Acting) in August of 2008 and was elected President and Chief Executive Officer, and Board Director, in February 2009. He joined Nanophase in November 1995. He was elected Secretary and Treasurer in November 1999, Acting Chief Financial Officer in January 2000, Vice President in April 2002, and Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer in April 2004. From 1990-1995 he served as Controller for two building contractors in the Chicago area, during which time he had significant business development responsibilities. From 1986 to 1990 he worked for Kemper Financial Services. Mr. Jankowski holds a B.S. from Northern Illinois University and an M.B.A. from Loyola University. He was elected to the TechAmerica (formerly AeA) Midwest Board in 2008 and was an active member of the TechAmerica Midwest CFO Committee from 2006 through 2008. He was appointed to the NanoBusiness Advisory Board in 2009. Mr. Jankowski was appointed to the Romeoville Economic Development Commission in 2004 and served in 2010. He has also served on the Advisory Board of NITECH (Formerly WESTEC), an Illinois Technology Enterprise Center focusing on the commercialization of advanced manufacturing technologies from 2003 to 2008. In 2009, Mr. Jankowski was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Northern Illinois Technology Foundation, an economic development and technology transfer entity that is part of Northern Illinois University.

In our interview, we discuss the current state and outlook for innovative nanomaterials. We hope you enjoy the interview with Jess Jankowski. -Steve Waite, Director of Research and Strategy, The NanoBusiness Commercialization Association

SW: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Jess. Nanophase has been in business for quite some time. Give us a little background of how the company got started, how it has evolved, and what its mission is today.

JJ: Nanophase is built from an idea that grew out of the Argonne National Laboratory – the ability to make pure metal oxide particles for particular applications at the nano scale. Often, manufacturers are forced to use materials with impurities or with secondary structures that don’t provide the effectiveness they are looking for. With this technology, we can provide metal oxides to manufacturers in any form (dry powder, dispersed in liquid, or dispersed into a plastic flake that is ready to use in their process) with the desired attributes ranging from particle size and shape to particular surface chemistries. It was a better way to provide manufacturers with materials they needed.

SW: What are the primary nanomaterials produced by Nanophase and why is the company focused on those materials?

JJ: The most popular is nano zinc oxide used in personal care applications (such as sunscreens for sensitive skin). Zinc oxide is an excellent, all natural, full spectrum UV ray absorber. Using nano zinc oxide allows that glob of white cream that we used to see decorating so many lifeguard’s noses to be clear today. Zinc oxide is gentler on the skin than many of the organic chemicals used to achieve the same purpose, so we have noticed an uptick in use in both sensitive skin sunscreen applications as well as certain daily wear cosmetics. Our material is also considered an “all-natural” or mineral-based product, which resonates with quality conscious consumers. Just as zinc oxide protects human skin, it also is effective in certain UV protection applications such as for exterior coatings (paints and stains) and many other applications.

Beyond zinc oxide, we have developed a family of aluminum oxide additives to impart a thin layer of scratch resistance to high-end packaging, signage, and consumer electronics products. We also use cerium oxide for polishing applications, from semiconductor and other electronics applications through architectural window solutions. We typically sell chemical additives, but our polishing expertise allowed us to launch our first complete product line for window polishing and restoration under the NanoUltra™ family of products. These are the most common products we sell, but we also sell smaller amounts of several other metal oxides for particular applications. We have a very flexible manufacturing platform that allows us to pursue markets broadly.

SW: There are numerous applications for nanomaterials in the 21st century. Tell us about the applications Nanophase is currently targeting in the market.

JJ: Several areas where we see significant opportunities in the near term are natural UV protection in personal care (e.g., sunscreens and daily wear cosmetics), providing scratch resistance in transparent coatings, UV-resistance in architectural coatings and a series of other applications that are too early-stage to mention. We fully understand that we will increase and decrease our focus in various markets as we grow and gain more commercial feedback. The underlying need for both transparent functional coatings and well-dispersed active materials provides us with more opportunities than we can possibly address simultaneously. For now, focus is the key!

SW: What are the major advantages to a sunscreen product that is produced with your nanomaterials?

JJ: Our nano zinc oxide provides a terrific combination of being very effective while gentle. Unlike many solutions on the market, nano zinc oxide is a full spectrum UV blocker, meaning that it minimizes the effects of UVA and UVB radiation very well. Many products have historically focused on UVB for blocking sunburn, without paying as much attention to UVA, which relates to cellular degradation and skin cancer. New label requirements in Europe, and likely soon to be in the United States (maybe this year), will require this be better disclosed, and you’ve likely already seen products on the shelves that are dealing with these disclosures. Sunscreens with our materials are designed to be long lasting, even when used in water. And zinc oxide tends to be gentle on the skin, more so than many of the organic chemicals commonly used. These reasons explain why our products are often found in sensitive skin products, and also explain why we are a natural choice for daily wear cosmetics.

SW: Please tell us more about the transparent UV resistant coatings for wood that Nanophase is developing. What are its advantages relative to existing products on the market?

JJ: The most effective wood coatings today tend to rely on heavy pigments to achieve UV protection, so that the wood will often look red or orange depending on the pigment being used. There’s nothing wrong with those colors, but many would prefer the natural look of their wood and simply want it to last longer. We have seen that our nanomaterials can improve the effectiveness of coatings significantly, particularly in the transparent and lighter-pigmented semi-transparent applications. We are working with customers to take the basic technology to market in both semi-transparent and completely transparent wood coatings. This is an area where we hold a significant advantage over the tradeoffs that historically had to be made – protection vs. transparency. Our solutions offer the market both.

SW: What are some of the futuristic nanomaterials applications Nanophase is working on that you can share with us?

JJ: Working at a small scale with significant control over the particles has provided potentially huge energy applications that we are working on, although it will take some time to determine viability. Very thin, transparent coatings also present strong potential advantages in plastics applications. We have recently devised a method for adding our materials into several traditional plastics fabrication processes, and are working with alpha customers on different applications. Either of these concept areas could launch a company today, but we are looking at them as additional areas for the strategic growth of our company, which already has a good history and understanding in creating and then manufacturing these solutions.

SW: Do you sense there is a misconception today among policymakers, companies, and the general public about nanomaterials?

JJ: The unknown is inherently scary. People who don’t know what we do often assume that we are making little robots that will take over the world, or unstoppable microbes. What we are really doing is improving the forms, or formats, of materials that have been used for a very long time. The data we see supports the safety of our products, and we believe we meet every available standard of safety in our manufacturing processes. I can only address our products – many companies are creating products at a nano scale for all sorts of applications today that I’m less familiar with, and I’m sure some will have issues and others won’t, just like any other business segment. I believe we’re seeing a softening of this paranoia in the marketplace and in legislative circles.

SW: What kind of testing has Nanophase been involved with over the past decade – either directly or indirectly – with its nanomaterials and what are the results of those tests?

JJ: This is a broad topic that I won’t try to address completely. I think the best way might be to discuss how we at Nanophase handle our Environmental Health and Safety (“EH&S”) program. Given that there aren’t specific rules regarding the evaluation of nanomaterials in the workplace, we have adopted and enhanced the existing safety regimes commonly and effectively used in the chemical industry. We rely on NIOSH and OSHA standards as the starting point for our EH&S program. To their requirements (compliance to chemical exposure rules and Permissible Exposure Limits or “PEL”), we have added a combination of additional tools and techniques to assess, control and monitor exposure to nanomaterials in the workplace. We measure fugitive emissions regularly and, in most cases, measured particulate levels are between one 1% and 5% of the established “PEL” by OSHA. Keep in mind that this standard includes both total and respirable dust. Many of the minimal particulates counted are generated by non-production (meaning, non-nanomaterial) processes. Our results also regularly show that the particle counts inside the production areas are measured lower than the particles present in the outdoor environment, including in the parking lot of the fast food restaurant down the street!

Lastly, on an annual basis, Nanophase executes a facility wide medical evaluation for production, quality, engineering, and R&D employees. The evaluation consists of a medical questionnaire, a pulmonary function test, and a follow-up physical if a need is determined by the company’s physician. The purpose of this evaluation is to monitor and respond to any decline in pulmonary function and to check for any other medical condition related to a single employee or pool of employees. Over the past five years (where our date is readily available), not a single employee has shown a decline in their medical condition that can be related to workplace exposure. I’m proud of our record, I’m proud of our EH&S team, and we continue to focus on strengthening our program whenever we determine additions can be helpful.

SW: Outside of the United States, what other countries are heavily engaged in nanomaterials research and development and how much innovation are we seeing in those countries?

JJ: This is a significant area of concern. The United States has enjoyed being a technology leader for decades. This is changing. Education and employment opportunities outside the United States have been improving at a much faster clip than domestically. Nanotechnology remains largely a “basic science” application, and fewer people are willing to put money behind learning about how things work. This is likely going to get far more imbalanced over time, as other nations promote technologies that will enable the next generation of products, while we struggle with fiscal challenges. While we often compete against non-nano technologies, we see that our most direct competitors are already located outside the United States.

SW: One last question for you, Jess. China moved to restrict its exports of “Rare Earth” minerals. What kind of impact do you think this will have on the nanomaterials business in the future?

JJ: We vaporize metal, so commodities are our raw materials. “Rare Earths” are a classification of materials often used in high end electronics. One member of that class is the cerium oxide we sell for polishing applications. As 97% of Rare Earth materials are exported from China today, the severe export restrictions imposed during 2010 are having a dramatic impact on the market. Many companies can’t get the material they need, and those which have been able to do so, like Nanophase, must pay significantly more than they did a year ago. This hurts our customers, and over time will drive changes in methods and products. We are working very closely with our customers on managing these issues, but they are significant. Our investment in inventory has skyrocketed because our customers need this material. New sources of supply are opening around the world during 2011, 2012, and beyond, but this will remain a significant challenge to many high-tech industries for the foreseeable future.

There are two mitigating bright spots here:

1) Cerium oxide to allow results to be achieved that are not possible with other materials today, so demand will continue to some extent; and

2) Smaller materials achieve greater functionality “per pound” than larger materials and, therefore, inherently require smaller quantities of materials to achieve a given performance level. This reduces both cost and, ultimately, offers greener alternatives in some cases where fewer byproducts are created for a given process.

SW: Thanks again for your time, Jess. It has been a pleasure speaking with you. We wish you and your colleagues at Nanophase all the best in the future.

You will be able to hear Jess live and in person at our 10th Annual Event.

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE for our 10th Annual NanoBusiness Conference/Nanomanufacturing Summit 2011
September 25-27, 2011
Boston, MA
http://www.internano.org/nms2011/

REGISTER TODAY
Industry/Government:
$400.00; $500.00 after August 26, 2011

University/Academia:
$200.00; $250.00 after August 26, 2011
https://regstg.com/Registration/RegForm.aspx?rid=9363e8fe-34c5-4188-9ecb-f1a5852ef5f3

Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA
http://www.seaportboston.com/meetings-and-events/overview.aspx
Hotel: Seaport Hotel (connected to the World Trade Center)
http://www.seaportboston.com/

Regards,

Vincent Caprio “Serving the Nanotechnology Community for Over a Decade”
Executive Director
NanoBusiness Commercialization Association
203-733-1949
vincent@nanobca.org
www.nanobca.org

NanoBusiness Endorses Nanomaterials for Aerospace & Defense – Nano News Spring Vol. 2

Posted on June 7th, 2011 in Uncategorized | No Comments »

I would like to share with you a couple of upcoming educational courses titled:

Nanomaterials for Aerospace and Defense: Applications, Issues, Trends and Practices
http://www.caneus.org/course/materials/

NanoBusiness members will be offered the same benefits as CANEUS members with reduced registration fees of $350.

Course 1 – June 28, 2011
Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center
3251 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304
REGISTER
https://ww2.eventrebels.com/er/Registration/RegistrationForm.jsp?ActivityID=5788&ItemID=21424

Course 2 – August 23, 2011
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD, 20771
REGISTER
https://ww2.eventrebels.com/er/Registration/RegistrationForm.jsp?ActivityID=6320&ItemID=23525

One of the course instructors is a familiar friend of the Nanotechnology Community over the past 10 years, Dr. Sharon Smith http://www.caneus.org/course/materials/index.php/instructors1.

NANO NEWS – Spring Edition Volume 2
This spring has brought us many exciting new developments in our Nanotechnology Community. We would like to share with you the following articles:

50 years ago on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced the U.S. goal of sending an American safely to the Moon before the end of the 60s.
http://history.nasa.gov/moondec.html

Northwestern University Purchases NanoInk’s NLP 2000 Desktop Nanofabrication System
http://www.nanoink.net/press-releases/press-release-3-29-2011.html

U.S. Department of Energy to Invest in Innovalight
http://www.tinytechvc.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=580135

Nanosys Uses Cool Quantum Dot Technology to Make Displays More Colorful
http://www.tinytechvc.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=578893

Harris & Harris Group Notes Sale of Quantum Computing System by D-Wave Systems to Lockheed Martin Corporation
http://www.tinytechvc.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=580990

mPhase Technologies Granted Key U.S. Patent for Multi-Chemistry Battery Architecture
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=e8zakgdab&v=001OOxHMyT1jj1SeQp1TUso_ogiMZiKz1NGb7M8NuTBrZDdsIJlVzDl8VBqs3HnGWtaaqGHs-xdWgjeosxRpdx_QkO0uv7ONY0_iYf4_P4j-bqsRlLWi0DDpg%3D%3D

Testing Nano: How Much Is Too Much?
http://newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/nano_testing/

Nanomedicine, the FDA: Developing science on a case-by-case basis
http://www.medcitynews.com/2011/05/nanomedicine-and-the-fda-developing-science-on-a-case-by-case-basis/

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE for our 10th Annual NanoBusiness Conference/Nanomanufacturing Summit 2011
September 25-27, 2011
http://www.internano.org/nms2011/
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA
http://www.seaportboston.com/meetings-and-events/overview.aspx
Hotel: Seaport Hotel (connected to the World Trade Center)
http://www.seaportboston.com/

Regards,

Vincent Caprio “Serving the Nanotechnology Community for Over a Decade”
Executive Director
NanoBusiness Commercialization Association
203-733-1949
vincent@nanobca.org
www.nanobca.org